By Patrick Morrisey, Attorney General of West Virginia Did Congress give EPA the power to make states like West Virginia change the way we get our electricity? And even so, is EPA’s plan to do so even realistic? Those were the questions that my office and other challengers to the so‐called “Clean Power Plan” addressed…

Since my predecessor as ACC President, Matt Schicke, wrote to readers in the Issue 2, 2016 of American Coal, a lot has changed for the U.S. coal industry. Among the biggest shifts, U.S. thermal and metallurgical coal pricing have improved from early 2016 levels, and the election of President Donald Trump, a surprise to many,…

Out with the old and in with the new – 2017 is off and running! In Washington D.C., where the wheels often seem to turn SOOOOOOO slowly, the new administration has shown a sense of urgency in tackling important issues addressed during the campaign. And that includes coal!! After years of a stifling regulatory environment…

By Shannon Angielski, Coal Utilization Research Council The need to develop and adopt advanced coal or carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and sequestration technologies worldwide seems obvious in consideration of the following climate and socio-economic influences: In December 2015, 195 nations met in Paris, France and agreed to non-binding individual greenhouse gas reductions globally by pledging to hold the increase in the…

By Jim Marchiori, University of Colorado Life is often a matter of reconciling competing, even conflicting, goals. As we look broadly across the energy sector, we see two such imperatives. One is the compelling need for energy around the world, especially to lift nearly a third of the world’s population out of energy poverty. The…

The coal supply chain continues to adapt to the forces of energy markets and regulation. The winter of 2016 failed to materialize, causing demand to plunge and inventories to spike. By spring, additional power sector coal generating capacity was shuttered as compliance plans made while the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) mercury rule wound its way through the courts…

By Paul M. Seby & Matthew B. Miller, Greenberg Traurig, LLP There is no doubt that coal-based electricity is currently faced with enormous challenges—both at the national level, with the flurry of federal regulations aimed at the coal industry, and at the state level, where local governments are experimenting with dramatic changes in their energy…

By Zoe Richmond It may be one of the biggest dilemmas Stay-at Home Moms face: entertaining toddlers in the throes of cabin fever. Summertime in Arizona means getting your outdoor activities done before 8 a.m. and hunkering down indoors in the afternoon. Inevitably, by 2 p.m. my two boys are begging to go outside. They…

We redefined the term CCS for use as the theme of the recent American Coal Council 2016 Coal Market Strategies conference. The traditional CCS reference of “Carbon Capture and Storage” was expanded to “Change, Challenge and Sustainability.” Our program covered timely coal-related markets, policy, regulation, and technology topics. Change, Challenge and Sustainability are the order…